I am a Fellow with the Royal Geographic Society and The Explorers Club. In 2015, I was chosen as one of the ten National Geographic Adventurers of the Year. I view exploration as more than first ascents and speed records, I am intrigued by the landscapes, languages, gender barriers, and borders that are constantly evolving to keep us apart.
My first real job was working in the outdoor industry at age twenty in Germany. A dream job that found me leading hiking trips in Austria, Switzerland, and guiding kayaking trips in the Black Forest. It opened up the world to me and brought me back to my love of the outdoors that I had grown up with camping, horseback riding, and bike riding around my North Dakota neighborhood as a child.
I have lived and worked in Beirut, Paris, Germany, Wales, Scotland, and Afghanistan. I have traveled to 34 countries, typically taking weeks if not months in Namibia, Borneo, Bali, Ukraine, Morocco, Turkey, Costa Rica, Argentina, Laos, South Korea, all of Western Europe, and beyond. My daughter, who is now in her late teens has spent years traveling with me, and her entire seventh grade year living out of a suitcase studying wildlife conservation in 18 countries.